LC Partners with Universities in Digital Preservation Project

http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/alnews2004/june2004ab/lcdigital.cfm

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Posted June 18, 2004.

LC Partners with Universities in Digital Preservation Project

The Library of Congress launched a 12-month test project in June to identify, document, and disseminate the best methods for preserving important digital cultural materials. In partnership with Old Dominion University’s computer science department and the university libraries of Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and Harvard, the Archive Ingest and Handling Test is part of an initiative to build a network of preservation partners through LC's Plan for the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, approved by Congress in December 2002.

AIHT participants are applying various preservation strategies to a digital archive of 57,000 images, texts, and audio and video files related to the September 11 terrorist attacks donated to LC by George Mason University. The transfer of these 12 gigabytes of digital content from one institution to another highlights one of the major problems involved in optimally preserving such a large collection of files.

The four institutions and LC will examine a wide range of open-source and proprietary digital-object management and preservation technologies during the testing period. Afterwards, participants will publish a report outlining both recommended practices and future areas for research.

Posted June 18, 2004.